Percussion Instruments for Kids

I have further divided the percussion instruments into single note and melody percussion. Single note percussion covers hand drums and shakers, while melody percussion covers instruments like xylophones and pianos.

Drums, Shakers and other Hand Percussion

Plan Toys

The first set of instruments is from Plan Toys. Plan Toys is an environmentally conscious company that makes its toys from recycled rubber wood and colored eco-friendly dyes. They get big points for this!!

These toys tend to be more for the ages 1 – 3, but be sure to double check before purchasing.

My favorite one of this bunch is the Solid  Drum. It can produce three different tones and is a great example of an early instrument that can be played for years and years. It is also a nice keepsake.

The Big Drum is cool especially if there is a family connection to marching bands because the drum can be strapped on. However, I can’t see it having much use after the toddler years.

The Musical Band Drum Set is cool again if there is a family connection to a drummer — perhaps dad, mom, or an older sibling plays a drum set. These role models provide your child with something to mimic. Otherwise, the tone of this instrument is nonexistent, and according to Amazon reviews, the pieces tend to fall off when being played. This is definitely not something with staying power, and I would go for a higher quality single drum at this price.

Plan Toys also has a collection shakers and rattlers, but if you are in search of a tambourine or shaker I would consider something further down on my list.

Meinl Nino Percussion

I actually stumbled across this line in my research, and I’m glad I did. Meinl is another maker of quality percussion instruments for professional musicians with a cool line for children called Nino. However, their Nino line is not google friendly so it doesn’t come up high in the search results when you look for “percussion for kids”. They are also pretty invisible on a kids percussion search on amazon.

That’s a real shame because they offer some of the best affordable percussion instruments for kids. In fact, the djembe drums are the best I’ve seen in that they are made of wood like most professional djembes. The drums come in xxsmall, xsmall, and small. Be sure to check the dimensions because the drums are smaller than you think.  We actually own one of the xsmall djembes, and it is fantastic!

These instruments have real staying power and will make fine keepsakes and/or instruments for years and years.

Since they are so hard to find online, I would recommend visiting their web site to see what they have and then do an exact search online for the item you want. Amazon does carry most of the Nino line, but it just isn’t indexed well. Some of the Nino products are not even listed with Nino in the title! So if you search for Meinl Nino on amazon you won’t even see all of their products.

You should also check with Sweetwater or Guitar Center.  They both carry the Meinl Nino Percussion line.

As a final note, the Nino line is not made in China so please beware of the pethora of super cheap imitations that are all over Amazon.

Wood Frog Güiro, small ~$30

6″ Mini Melody Steel Tongue Drum ~$40

Wood Egg Shaker Pair ~$12

JAMTOWN

JAMTOWN is an independently owned world music store based in Seattle. The founder, John Hayden, buys directly from artisans around the world, supporting their work through the principles of Fair Trade.

In addition, JAMTOWN offers rhythm classes and events in the Seattle area, so they have hands-on experience with their products.

These are instruments that you can keep for a lifetime. They are beautiful works of art and fine musical instruments as well.

However, you definitely want to touch base with JAMTOWN to be sure that the instrument you want is age appropriate for your child. I would put these in the category of supervision required simply because they are handmade and have small parts that a child might be able to get loose. And you don’t want to bang these instruments on the pavement — you should teach your child how to properly play them.

I have not purchased any of these products because I already have quite a stash of similar instruments that I have collected while on tour over the years. These closely resemble the instruments that my child plays under supervision.

The Sun Moon Star Drum looks particularly interesting. It comes with a 30 minute online guide and activities.

JAMTOWN also sells an award winning Rhythm Pak which I will present below in the ‘percussion sets’ section.

Tinya Double Drum Junior ~$30

  Caxixi Double Shaker Large ~$30

Remo Kids Percussion

Remo is a maker of quality instruments for percussionists, but they also have a line called Remo Kids Percussion.

While most are rated for kids 3 and older, I think they are also fine for younger kids under supervision. And since these instruments are of a higher quality and price, it is probably a good practice to put them away when not being played. This may also have the added benefit of teaching your child that musical instruments are a little different from their other toys and should be handled with care.

The tone/sound quality of all of these instruments give them staying power, and they are all highly rated on amazon.com.

I prefer the drums with the Rain Forest design simply because it will add to the longevity of the drum. The more cartoon like designs are less likely to last past elementary school.

A Toy Garden

A Toy Garden is an online store run by a work-from-home mom that features Fair Trade and Made in the USA toys.

I think the owl shakers are excellent alternatives to the Amazon plastic junk, and they are beautiful pieces as well, satisfying my longevity criteria.

They are made in Peru using non-toxic materials.

Melody Percussion Instruments for Kids

As mentioned earlier, melody percussion covers instruments like xylophones and pianos. For this section, I will present the options by instrument instead of by company because it will be easier to compare.

The thing to watch out for with these instruments is tuning. There are a lot of these on the market, but most of them are horribly out of tune — making them more noise makers than instruments and failing my criteria of being able to play a simple melody.

Unfortunately, the Plan Toys Xylophone (at left) falls into this category. I know because I bought one without doing my homework. I just assumed that it would be in tune. Is it entirely useless? No, not really because it still allows a toddler to explore different tones, but the sound quality is not good, and it’s not going to have much use after a year or so.

I should have bought either of the ones by Nino . These are both in tune and will allow your child to actually grow with the instrument and eventually play a melody.  The design of the larger one is actually quite clever in that it includes 2 additional notes on the side (F# and Bb).  The notes can easily be removed/replaced in order to create different scales.  Of course, this will mean a lot if either parent is a musician and understands scales!  For example, notes can be removed to form pentatonic scales.

The Boomwhackers are an award winning alternative to the traditional xylophone. The 8 tubes are tuned to a diatonic scale, and it comes with a song book.  The Boomwhackers seems to be more of a toy to me, but since you can actually play a melody I can see that it could be a lot of fun.

  Boomwhackers ~$40

Pianos

Yes, a piano is considered a percussive instrument because the hammers strike the strings to produce a tone.  However, in the world of toddler pianos, a hammer typically hits a tuned metal bar, giving the instrument more of a chime- like tone.  Therefore, it sounds more like a kid’s xylophone/glockenspiel than a real piano. This is the case with the Schoenut Piano.  This might be disappointing for some parents, but I still prefer these over the electronic keyboards that have all the bells and annoying whistles.

We had a Schoenut piano that was passed down from cousins, and I made a complete review of the Schoenut 30 Key Baby Grand for you to check it out.  However, there is a lot of competition now in this space so you’ll simply have to shop around — there are simply too many options for me to review here.

Interestingly, in recent years some digital pianos in the same price range have come on the market like the one by Zippy.  These have the added benefit of sounding closer to the sound of an acoustic piano.

They all come with some kind of ‘learning system’ in terms of instructional books and colored keyboard overlays, so there is some room for growth if your child decides to get more into it.

So which one should you get??  First decide whether you’d prefer one like the one I reviewed with metal tone bars or a digital one.  The ones with metal tone bars lend themselves to single note melodies and do not sound very good when chords are played.  Because of this, I would not spend the extra money for a toy piano with more than 30 keys. Those extra notes don’t sound good.  The digital ones definitely sound a lot better when chords are played as well as sounding great beyond 30 keys.

Also be aware that the digital ones do not lend themselves to banging so they tend to be more for kids over the age of 3.  As you can see in my review, the toy pianos with metal tone bars can definitely take a licking 😉

The longevity of these toy pianos is a little less than I would hope. They may not have much use after age 5 or so, simply because if your child is really into piano, then you should buy or rent him a real one (or at least a a full size digital piano) at that age. Or if you happen to have a real piano in the house, he/she might be ready for it by age 3 or 4.

Kalimbas

The Kalimba is an African instrument which is played by plucking the tines or metal keys with the thumb. It is also called a Thumb Piano or Mbira.

There are tons of import versions of kalimbas on amazon, but none of them claim to be child friendly and consistency/quality seems to be a big issue.  In fact, I would avoid Amazon all together and do your Kalimba shopping at proper music stores like Sweetwater or Guitar Center.   They will definitley have more quality instruments.

Some of them come with songbooks as well.

The kalimba is another great example of an instrument with staying power. You’ll be able to play it for a lifetime.  We own two!

Percussion & Musical Instrument Sets

Most musical instrument sets are total junk filled with cheap plastic noise makers!  If you are interested in one of these sets, be sure to read the comments on amazon thoroughly to make sure that it’s right for your needs. You could also take note of what’s in their band set and create your own using some of my alternative suggestions. You will at least wind up with some nice keepsakes.

The DrumBus Rhythm pack from JAMTOWN is an eclectic option that is way cooler in my opinion, however, it’s a lot more expensive.  It is the winner of an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal and a Parent’s Choice Foundation Award. It includes a guide and  simple rhythm cue cards.  It also features a lot of instruments that I mentioned earlier.

And Nino Percussion has a lot of Percussion Sets to choose from so visit their site for the latest options.

Wind Instruments for Kids

Buying a wind instrument for a kid under age 5 is a little tricky because you want to be sure they have the lung capacity and are old enough to understand the concept. Unlike simply striking a percussive instrument and producing a tone, wind instruments require your child to blow and finger at the same time.

 Don’t forget, the key to introducing your child to musical instruments is avoiding frustration.  As a result, it appears that most wind instruments are recommended for children over age 3.  Here again, I believe you can introduce it sooner if a family member happens to play a wind instrument.

Flutes & Recorders

Flutes are often a good place to start because they don’t require much lung capacity to produce a decent tone. In addition, ethnic flutes often have fewer holes to finger and can be easier for your child to understand.

JAMTOWN sells a cool Suling flute and also a pan flute which both seem well-suited for a child over age 3.  They also have a few other options from time to time.

On the much pricier side, A Toy Garden sells a Choroi Pentatonic flute for around $145. Apparently, it is the flute recommended for first graders in Waldorf Schools ages 4 – 6.

Recorders are usually for children over age 4 as well. There are a lot of cheap toy plastic ones on the market so watch out. For some reason, I do not have fond memories of the recorder, but I can’t seem to recall exactly why! In any case, I would go for one of the cool ethnic flutes from JAMTOWN if you are simply looking for something for your child to play with. If a recorder is required for your child’s music class, then perhaps get a recommendation from the music teacher.

Other Wind Instruments
Ocarinas, Harmonicas, and Kazoos

An Ocarina was next on my list for my then 2 year old. Not only do they look cool, but they appear to be quite easy to play.

Note: I did purchase an Ocarina for my 2 1/2 year old son, however, it was a little too advanced for him. I’ve put it away, and tried again at 3 but he never really took to it.  He was way into the drums by then!

Harmonicas are also popular wind instruments for children. They are tuned to a particular scale so that there are no “wrong notes”. Hohner has been making Harmonicas for 150 years, and the model on the left are a good place to start.

I used to think that Kazoos bordererd on being noise makers, however, if you can hum a tune then you can play a Kazoo! Just blow in it and start humming. In fact, ealry childhood music educators recommend them because they really help in developing your child’s musical ear in the same as singing.

There are tons of cheap 99 cent plastic ones to choose from, and your local music store will usually have them in a bowl by the cash register.  However, there are also Wooden Kazoos on the market.

Trumpets, Saxophones, and Clarinets

Unfortunately, there are few alternatives to the cheesy plastic versions of these instruments because the legitimate versions are beyond the abilities of children under 5 in terms of lung capacity and other developmental factors.

But they do have a place in households in which a family member plays the real instrument or your child simply wants one because of something he’s heard or seen. Just know that they are all toys and will have very little use after a few years.

Otherwise, I think there are much hipper alternatives in this section on wind instruments for kids.

String Instruments for Children

String instruments are actually quite challenging for kids under age 5 so you want to be careful not to introduce them too early. Guitars and violins require a toddler to do two actions simultaneously to produce a melody: fret the string with one hand while strumming, plucking, or bowing the string with the other. It also requires a fair amount of finger strength. Finally, even if your child can manage the first two actions, producing a musically pleasing tone is not easy. We all have heard the sound of a beginning violinist!

Guitars

Guitars are generally not recommended until age 4, but I have seen some rated for 3-year-olds. In addition, I don’t think guitars are instruments that a child can get going on his own, and I would highly recommend some form of formal instruction. You’ll have to read your child on this one, because many children are not ready for lessons at that age.

Of course, if there is a guitarist in the house your child may blossom on guitar earlier.

A Ukulele is perfect for small hands and is a genuine alternative to the plastic electronic guitars with all of the buttons and flashing lights. At least it has strings (4) and is made of wood. However, most of the toy Ukuleles do not hold their tuning so if you want an instrument that your child can grow with, I’d spend a little extra and buy a ‘real’ one. It will also look nice on a shelf if it survives the early years!

Incidentally, there are a lot of complaints about the “Plan Toys Banjo” on amazon. It’s rated for children 3 and up, but it is really a bad buy for $28 because you can’t tune the strings at all and there is virtually no tone — just a dull thud from each string. You are much better off buying a toy plastic Ukulele for around the same price.

The Kala Ukulele is a good example of a proper beginner’s instrument, but it’s probably even better to visit your local guitar shop and have them help you pick one out. It may cost you a little more, but you will be building a relationship with a local store that may also provide lessons. Check out my Ukulele instrument review.

If you are looking for an actual guitar (not a Ukulele or Banjo), then I will definitely refer you to your local guitar shop. Beginner guitars come in a variety of sizes, and your local dealer will be able to better match your child.

Finally, here’s a link to a wikiHow buyer’s guide: How to Buy a Guitar for a Child to help prepare you for that first visit to your local guitar store. It will help tremendously to have some idea of what you’re looking for. i.e. are you interested in an acoustic, electric or classical guitar??

Loog Guitars are a great alternative to traditional guitars for toddlers. We got one of these for our 4 year old, and he absolutely loved it because he can play songs right away. There are only 3 strings so it’s perfect for little hands to play bar chords instantly. In addition, it comes as a kit so you will have to put it together. I highly recommend checking it out. And I love playing it too!! Check out my complete  Loog Guitar review.

Violins

Violins are another instrument that I will refer you to your local dealer. This is the best approach as opposed to trying to find the right instrument online. In addition, private or group instruction is highly recommended.

Lyres

I discovered Lyres while I was doing the research for this article. They appear to be very cool because they don’t require a child to fret with one hand and pluck the string with the other. You tune them to a scale, pluck the strings, and there will be no “wrong” notes. They all include songbooks and tuning instructions so you will need a little musical knowledge to set it up and maintain it.

The only drag is that they are quite expensive, but if you factor in that they can be played for many years, the extra expense may not seem so exorbitant. Plus they are beautiful looking instruments. I suggest searching for a youtube video of someone playing it to see if you like the sound before buying.

The Lyre is a great casual alternative to a guitar since it doesn’t require formal instruction.

Music Maker

This last find is also a result of my research. I’ve never seen one of these, so this is for those who like to try new things. It looks like a simplified autoharp. You play it by sliding a song sheet under the strings and plucking the string above each printed note.

It’s made in Belarus (Eastern Europe) comes with 12 song sheets of popular songs. It also comes with a pick, tuner and spare wire. There are also additional song sheets available for purchase.

I guess the big question here is what happens once you’ve gone through all of the song sheets? I guess if you learn the pitch of each string, you can read traditional music as well (single note melodies). Not sure if you are going to be playing it for years and years, but it might fun for a while. It’s definitely unique.

If any of you purchase the Music Maker, please email me your impressions. I can add your comments here.

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